


honey in their souls

by gracesvirtue



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Professional Cuddlers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-05-14 12:54:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracesvirtue/pseuds/gracesvirtue
Summary: Oh fuck.Out of everything she had planned for - and that really had been everything from him being an axe murderer to him trying to therapize her the way Simon did - she hadn’t ever stopped to consider the fact that maybe he would be cute.--or the one where scott is a professional cuddler and tessa's therapist decides she needs some affection in her life. featuring awkward pining, sexual tension and gratuitous references.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> -insert obligatory reference about how I can't believe I'm writing RPF but also it's AU so does it even matter any more?-

She’s really done a lot in the name of therapy, Tessa thinks absently. She had started journaling about her main stressors - although she had also folded it into part of her daily bullet journal so maybe it didn’t really count - and she had agreed to cut down on the amount of late nights spent in the office and she had even found more time for actual holidays lately. This, though? This is the weirdest thing she’s ever been asked to do. 

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She asks, the words tripping off her tongue before she even gets to think it through. She hates the way her voice rises slightly as she does so. 

Simon, her therapist, gives her his patented _Tessa-don’t-be-stubborn_ smile, one that she’s learnt to recognise over the past year and a half, and nods calmly. “Yes, you heard me right. I think you’re far too wound up about your upcoming line getting released so I’d like you to consider touch therapy. I have a card here for an organisation. I think it’ll really help you out.” 

Sure enough, he produces a small business card after a second of rummaging and, as Tessa leans forward to take it, she realises that the card stock is exactly the same brand as her own business cards. They seem professional enough then, which is particularly annoying considering that the mere idea of ‘touch therapy’ feels like it could be ridiculously invasive. She doesn’t need a hug to relax, she just needs this week to be over so she could focus on the line of new designs that she was desperate to get to production. 

“I really don’t think it’s necessary, Simon.” Another sigh passes her lips as she reaches up to pinch the bridge of her nose, aggrieved. 

“If you don’t at least try it, I’ll have to recommend to your partner that you push the launch back by a week.” And there it is. The big threat that she had been expecting all session. They had been working on their newest clothing line for months and she doesn’t think she could handle waiting any longer to release it. 

Tessa glances down at the card again, the elegant script catching her eye. Maybe it wouldn’t be awful. Even if it was, she could probably suffer through one session. For the sake of her career, at least. “Fine, Simon. You win this one, I’ll make an appointment.” He opens his mouth as if to say something and she clamps down hard on the urge to roll her eyes yet again. “And yes, I’ll forward you the details so you know I’ve actually done it instead of just lying to you.” 

That had only happened once and honestly, who could even blame her? Why would he have ever tried to make her take a class with a chef? 

She knows why - it was because she couldn’t cook to save her life, her nutritionist had been on vacation and she had spent that particular week and a half living solely off poached eggs and coffee. That wasn’t the point. 

She tucks the card into the pocket of her blazer and turns her attention back to Simon. “I can’t promise I’ll enjoy it.” 

His answering expression is more amused than anything else but she’ll take it.

\--

Tessa didn’t get around to making the appointment until three days later and, even then, it was after several text reminders from Simon. Eventually, she relents and pulls the card from the desk organiser she had stowed it in. 

‘Cuddle Buddies’ reads the elegant blue script and she grimaces. Bit too cutesy for her taste but she had made a promise and so, she keys the number into her phone and waits, preparing to settle in for an agonising length of time on hold. However, within a few minutes, a woman answers, her voice upbeat and cheery. “Good afternoon! How can we help today?” 

Tessa takes a long, slow breath to steel herself and runs her free hand through her hair in agitation. “I’m looking to make an appointment.” 

\-- 

Naturally, of course, her jam-packed schedule had come back to bite her in the ass and the only day she had time to cram her appointment in was the day before her launch. Hours had been spent in the office, finalising the launch party details and changing up the decorations for the venue. By the time 6pm rolls around, Tessa has almost entirely forgotten her nerves about the touch therapy session - she had taken to calling it that instead of a cuddle appointment, mostly for the sake of her own sanity if nothing else. 

Her professional cuddler had asked if she would rather be at her own house instead of at his and she had steadfastly agreed. Part of her was nervous about it being a guy but he had completed a thorough phone consultation with her about what was to be expected in the session and had sent over copies of his qualifications for her to look at. She had sent them to her lawyer who had verified them quickly enough which had helped ease her anxiety. Still, Tessa figured that being on home turf would help too. 

Half an hour before he’s due to arrive and she finds herself pacing rapidly enough that she starts to worry about the state of her antique hardwood flooring. Reluctantly, she forces herself to perch on her sofa and flick the TV on, if only for something to do. She’s already showered and braided her damp hair back then had spent almost twenty minutes agonising over what to wear. He specified comfortable clothes but somehow she didn’t think that meant her oversized Blue Jays jersey and shorts like she would usually wear around the house. Eventually, she settled on a pair of leggings and a soft, well worn flannel. Presentable but not trying too hard. 

_Get a grip of yourself, Tessa._ She thinks as she bounces her leg, an attempt to relieve some of the nervous energy coursing through her. _It’s like a therapy appointment, you’ve been to plenty of them. Stop acting like you’re a teenager going on her first ever date. It’s only an hour and then you never have to see him again._

She’s still trying to talk herself down from the edge when she hears the familiar dual tone of her doorbell. Almost too quickly, Tessa jumps to her feet and hurries over to the door, pulling it open to reveal the guy she would have to spend an hour with. 

_Oh fuck._

Out of everything she had planned for - and that really had been everything from him being an axe murderer to him trying to therapize her the way Simon did - she hadn’t ever stopped to consider the fact that maybe he would be cute. 

And cute, he is. Relatively long, floppy dark hair, warm hazel eyes and a wry little smile that made her heart constrict for a second. Belatedly, she realises that they’re both still standing in the doorway and, fumbling, she opens the door wider. “Sorry! Uh, hi. Hello, yeah. Scott, right?” She asks, despite having committed every detail she could glean about him to memory. 

“Yup, that’s me! Good to finally meet you in person, Tessa,” he says with a winning grin. She sighs slightly, relaxing as the voice matched up to the one on the other end of her phone consultation. With that worry gone, Tessa offers a nervous laugh in response, watching as he steps into her foyer and kicks his shoes off. Mannerly, at least. That was always nice. 

Trying to regain some semblance of control over this situation, Tessa sweeps her braid over one shoulder and wanders past him towards the kitchen. “Do you want a drink or anything?” She asks, hoping her traitorous voice wouldn’t betray how nervous she was. 

“Water would be nice, thanks.” Nodding, Tessa focuses on the task at hand, filling two glasses with ice cold water then padding over to him. He’s settled comfortably on her pristine white sofa and she tries not to grimace as he squishes some of her decorative pillows into a more comfortable shape. She passes the glass to him and finds herself taken aback by the boyish grin she receives in response. She can’t help but marvel at the way his smile seems to light up his whole face and leave a warm, comforting feeling settling in her stomach. 

It isn’t quite enough to soothe her frayed nerves though and Tessa finds herself speaking again, steadfastly refusing to meet his gaze as she does so. “To be honest, I only made this appointment because my therapist wanted me to, we don’t even really have to do anything. He’s just so focused on how often I go anywhere except work.” She tries to keep her voice light and airy but Scott has such an intense gaze and she can feel it burning into the side of her face, making a rose pink flush rise to her cheeks. 

She doesn’t, however, expect to hear a sharply amused bark of laughter and her head snaps around to where he sits, grinning and with those hazel eyes sparkling in mirth. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. It’s just you look so wound up sitting there that I’d want to hug you even if that wasn’t my job. It’s fine, Tess. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want, remember? We can just sit and watch a movie if you’d rather.” 

That sounds like the least intimidating option and so Tessa nods, folding her legs underneath her and pulling up Netflix. “What kind of movies do you prefer?” She asks curiously, chancing another glance at him and being oddly unsurprised when she finds him already looking in her direction. 

“Anything is fine by me. Your choice,” he hums, although a sheepish grin tugs at his lips, “but, for the sake of answering your question, would you laugh if I said rom-coms?” 

Tessa makes a concerted effort not to laugh but a soft smile curves her lips anyway as she flips to the rom-com section. “Love Actually?” 

“Too sunny outside, I’ll want it to be Christmas,” he counters and she laughs softly, silently agreeing. 

“When Harry Met Sally?” 

“Watched it last week.” That’s admitted shyly and Tessa slants a gentle smile in his direction. His cheeks flare with colour and her smile widens into a grin before moving on. 

“Alright, alright. Princess Bride?” 

She’s barely finished saying the words before he jumps in. “Always here for that.” Her laugh is the only answer he needs and she hits play, moving to settle by his side. 

They’re barely into the second scene before Tessa gives into the warmth Scott seems to radiate and softly lets her shoulder brush his. She isn’t quite sure what she expects to happen but he seems to know what she’s asking instinctively and he lifts his arm.

“Do you mind if I just put my arm around you?” 

Being asked takes her by surprise and Tessa finds herself blinking up at him owlishly for a moment. “Oh, yeah. No, that’s fine.” She murmurs, ignoring how warm it makes her feel when he smiles in response and drapes his arm around her shoulders. 

She sighs and settles down, letting the familiar movie wash over her. It’s nice, if she’s honest. Scott’s arm is a pleasant weight around her, his shoulder is solid under her cheek and every so often, their laughter pierces the air and the force of his makes his shoulders quake but mostly? Mostly it’s just nice to be held. 

By the time the movie is about two thirds of the way through, Tessa feels herself getting drowsy, struggling to focus in on the words any longer. She feels bad but it’s been so long since she slept properly what with everything at work and Scott just feels so warm underneath her that she can’t help but burrow further into his side. 

\-- 

When she wakes, the credits are rolling and he’s gently brushing rogue strands of her hair back from her face with a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

It takes a minute for her foggy brain to process but when it does, she sits up sharply, shaking her head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep, that’s so rude of me.” 

That laugh again. He shakes his head and reaches out to settle a hand on her knee. “Tess. It’s fine, you looked like you needed it and I’m glad I could help.” He’s so earnest and Tessa knows her cheeks are flaming red, can sense the heat that’s flooding into them. 

“Still, I’m sorry,” she murmurs sheepishly. 

Scott shakes his head and pushes himself to his feet. “I have to go - I have another appointment to make but honestly, it’s absolutely fine. It was nice - I hope it helped you a little.” His head is tilted slightly and, absently, Tessa thinks that he looks almost like a puppy like that. She nods in response and stands too, making her way to the door to let him out. 

The fog of sleep is starting to clear from her mind but, before she can overthink it too much, she catches his eye. “Would it be you if I ever wanted to do this again?”

Something glints in his hazel eyes as he grins at her and she can’t quite place it until - “As you wish.” 

_Oh. Mischief._

With that, he’s gone and Tessa quietly lets her door click shut behind him. She stands, frozen for a moment, before shuffling over to her desk where her planner sits. She blocks out an hour a week for the foreseeable future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super overwhelmed with all the love this fic has received, thank you guys so much! I'm having a blast writing this, they're so soft. I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

“I really don’t know why you’ve been so stressed, Tessa. I knew the launch would be fine.” Her business partner, Emily, is stretched out on their office couch, an arm slung over her face. Tessa feels like doing exactly the same but the adrenaline from the fashion show is still coursing through her and moving around the office is the only thing keeping her semi-calm. 

She laughs though, smoothing her hair back from her face as she continues to gather up the stray pieces of paper littering their desks. “I knew it would be fine. I was just worried in case of...I don’t know? Emergency?” 

Emily’s voice is drowsy by now. “You always worry. You need some way of relaxing. Go get laid.” Tessa chokes on the water she’s just taken a sip of and forces herself to breathe through the sudden onslaught of coughing, eyes watering furiously. 

“Excuse me?” She’s aiming for scandalised but thinks she’s settled somewhere around horrified instead. Her reaction is evidently amusing to Emily though because she’s laughing and pushing herself into a sitting position, just so she can see Tessa’s expression better. 

“God Tessa, there’s no need to look like I’ve just told you to go hire a prostitute. You’re hot, we both know that. Go to a bar for once in your life and hook up with someone. You stopped seeing Ryan like...what? A year ago?” 

“A year and a half,” Tessa corrects on impulse then grimaces at the way Emily’s expression melts into something decidedly smug.

“And the fact you know that says a hell of a lot about how wound up you must be,” she smirks and Tessa really hates her right now for being so smug and so damn right. 

So maybe her next move isn’t her brightest idea in the world but she’s still antsy and more than a little peeved at the teasing. Lazily, she stands, tosses her empty bottle of water into the trash can and slings her bag over her shoulder. “I will see you in the morning. As it is, I have a guy to go see.” 

Emily’s sound of surprise and indignation follows her as she leaves and Tessa can’t help but giggle just a little. It technically wasn’t a lie. She’s headed home in time for Scott to come around for their appointment so really, she’s only stretching the truth slightly. She and Scott had exchanged numbers during the week and so, as she hops into her taxi, she shoots off a quick text. 

_Any snack or film requests before I properly settle down?_

She adds a few emojis after a moment of hesitation and hits send. Sighing, she double checks her purse and sets aside the cash to pay Scott after the session. She still feels weird about it. It feels almost salacious to be paying for affection but she likes him and she can’t deny that she really had slept better last week. If it would quell the restlessness of her nights,Tessa thinks she can probably deal with a little bit of weirdness. 

She’s just stepping out of the taxi, passing the driver the money to cover her fare when her phone buzzes with Scott’s reply and she smiles faintly at the words, very distinctly not thinking about how sweet he is. No need to go down that road. 

_Was just about to text you the same thing! Queue up the romcoms, I’m bringing chocolate._

\--

After quite possibly the most efficient shower of her life, Tessa quickly dresses, tugging on a pair of Adidas leggings and the matching black cropped top before scraping her hair back into a loose high ponytail. She’s already opened up Netflix and thrown her freshly washed blanket across the back of her sofa before it occurs to her that maybe the crop top isn’t appropriate. She turns to head back to her bedroom and change when she hears the door. Well, shit. 

Biting her lip, Tessa hesitates for a second before throwing caution to the wind and opening the door to let Scott in. He’s standing there with that smile, brandishing chocolate. “Figured you deserved some - you said this week at work was going to be stressful.”

The laugh that bubbles out of her chest is surprised and she nods. “Yeah, it wasn’t the easiest. How did you know Lindt was my favourite?” She asks as they walk through to the living room. 

His answering grin is pleased. “I guessed - it just made me think of you when I saw it. So, what movie are we going for today?” He’s already slumped on her sofa, opening the bar of chocolate and snapping it into rows methodically. 

Smiling, she perches on the edge of the sofa just beside him and scrolls through the options. “Well, I know we vetoed it last week but it is the first week of November which is basically Christmas time…” 

Opening his arms for her, Scott rolls his eyes and laughs brightly. “Fine, Love Actually it is. Go on, Tess.” 

She hits play before settling into the circle of his arms without much thought. She absently thinks that Scott really makes it easy to sink into his embrace. “Hey, why do you call me Tess?” She asks curiously as the airport montage begins to play. 

“I don’t know. It suits you, I think. Do you want me to stop? I can, if you’d rather.” he says, glancing down at her in concern. Then after a beat, he adds, “Plus, my brother’s wife is called Tessa and I’d really rather not think of my brother when I’m with you.” 

“No. No, it’s okay. I was just...wondering.” A comfortable silence falls and Hugh Grant’s voice hangs between them. She tries not to overthink the comment about his brother too much. Perfectly normal thing to say.

\-- 

It’s less than twenty minutes into the film when Scott taps her shoulder and she slants a glance up at him. “You okay?” He checks in and she nods, a small smile curving her lips. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you?” 

He looks hesitant for a minute and Tessa sits up, worry lancing through her, white-hot. “Scott. Are you alright?” Her sudden movement evidently alerts him to her concern and he shakes his head, laughing faintly. 

“Whoa, Tess, no need to worry. I just have a bit of an ache in my back from work.” Tessa frowns at him, brow furrowing deeply.

“How did you manage to hurt your back cuddling someone?” She doesn’t recognise the slightly dark twist of emotion settling in her gut but she forces it down, praying her expression shows only slight worry for him. 

Somehow, she doesn’t think it works considering he laughs, bright and loud and affectionately pushes at her shoulder. She rolls her eyes sharply and returns the shove with just as much force. “No, this is my second job. I spend most of my days working as a coach for junior ice skaters.” 

Oh. Well. Colour her surprised. Feeling just a little bad for her response, Tessa gets to her feet, hits pause quickly and pushes at his shoulders. “Here, sitting up won’t be good for you, lie down, I promise the sofa is comfier than it looks.” She wonders if this is crossing a line briefly and her hands stutter from where they settled against his shoulders. 

Scott looks up at her and smiles gently. “Is that alright with you? You get to set the boundaries here,” he reminds her and she nods.

“Yeah, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Once he’s settled comfortably on her sofa, Tessa smiles and shuffles forward to lie just in front of him. 

“Can I put my arm around your waist?” He asks from just behind her and Tessa nods silently. Maybe this wasn’t her best idea but too late now. His arm drapes gently over her and she sighs, relaxing at the already too-familiar weight of him. 

She curls up flush against him and attempts to tune back into the film. Two minutes later, she gives up on that notion and twists slightly in his arms to face him, almost startled at his proximity. “So...ice skating?” 

Scott grins in response and she hates that his smile looks even better close up. “Yeah, ice skating. You never skated, Tess? You’re Canadian, it’s a crime if you haven’t.” 

“Excuse you, Mr Moir,” she replies with a delicate laugh. “I skated singles until I was 18.” 

His expression changes fractionally, something curious and warm flitting across his face. “You’re full of surprises.” She consciously tries not to blush and instead knocks her toes against his shin. “So, what do you coach? Why do you do this if you coach too?” She asks, tilting her head. He sighs slowly and she ignores the way her heart flutters as his breath washes over her. 

“Ice dance. I used to compete myself but my partner got too tall and we never found anyone else so I moved to coaching. I only have a couple of teams and they're still juniors - kids pretty much - so it doesn’t exactly fill my whole day. Needed something else to do, saw this as an ad and my brother bet me that I wouldn’t do it. So I did. Stupid, eh?” 

“Not at all.” She murmurs, voice soft. “Why did you keep doing it? You didn’t have to.” 

“Nah, I didn’t. I’m good at it though and I like knowing that it can help people out.” He sounds deep in thought and Tessa smiles warmly at him.

“That’s sweet. It does help. Well, it helps me anyway,” she adds, not wanting to think about his other clients too deeply.

“Yeah, tell me about your stressful week. Out there conquering the world?” He grins, the moment of introspection gone as he brings his free arm up to tap her on the nose. 

“Not quite yet,” she laughs, avoiding his gaze sheepishly. “My friend and I, Emily, own a fashion company and we were debuting a new line of athletic wear this week. Just the usual release week stress. She was laughing at me earlier for still being wound up even though it’s out now.” Hazel eyes blink back at her in surprise and she frowns a little. “What?” Maybe her tone is a little defensive because he squeezes her hip lightly in response. 

“Nothing, just...whoa. I didn’t realise you really were conquering the world. That’s insane, Tess. You’re incredible. Good work.” The genuine awe in his voice makes her blush harder and she burrows further down into the sofa so he can’t catch her eye. 

“Thank you. It’s not as big a deal as it sounds, I promise.” 

“I’ll tell the other coaches at the rink to send their teams to you guys for practice gear.” He gasps in mock outrage as she smacks his chest lightly at that. 

“You don’t have to do that,” she mutters, laughing faintly. 

“Yeah but I will. Now, are we ever gonna actually finish watching this movie?” His voice is teasing and Tessa huffs, flipping over onto her other side and settling back against him in time to watch Emma Thompson begin to cry over Joni Mitchell. 

By the time the scene is over, his thumb is slowly tracing circles against the sliver of exposed skin at her stomach. She doesn’t ask him to stop. 

\-- 

“Shut up.” 

“I’m not saying anything,” he laughs. 

“You’re laughing,” she pouts up at him. 

“I’ve never seen someone cry so hard at the ending of Love Actually and then threaten to kill me if I tell anyone while still crying.” They’re sitting side by side, shoulders still touching while she swipes stray tears from her face. 

“It’s been a long week, leave me alone.” She complains, trying to mask her embarrassment under a veil of annoyance. 

“I’m not judging, Tess! You going to be okay though? I have to go soon - my brother wants to go out for a drink with me.” She thinks he sounds vaguely regretful about it but perhaps she’s projecting. She nods and stands up, snatching her purse from her kitchen table. “Let me give you the money before you go.” 

Grin back in place, he shakes his head. “Nah, I hate taking it. Here, give me a hug and just slip it in my back pocket.” She raises an eyebrow as he opens his arms but sighs and steps forward anyway. He wraps his arms securely around her and rests his head on top of hers as she melts against him. It takes her a second to even remember what she’s doing before she slips her hand into his back pocket and deposits the money there. Quickly, she skirts her hand back up to the safer territory of his back and feels him chuckle. He squeezes her tightly for another brief moment then steps back. 

“I’ll see you next week, Tess?” He poses it as a question and she nods quietly. 

“Yeah. I’ll be here.” 

_Stupid. It’s your house, of course you’ll be here._ She berates herself. 

He laughs though and nods. “Excellent. My pick next week as to what movie we watch or I spill and tell everyone that you cried at Love Actually.” He waves a cheery goodbye and shuts the door before she can even retort and so she’s left standing in her hall with the faint strains of the Love Actually score playing in the background. She heads back to her living room and picks up her phone to find several texts from Emily, none especially urgent. The last simply reads; 

_Fine, ignore me. Hope the sex is good xoxo_

Tessa groans and throws herself onto the sofa, stubbornly ignoring the way her entire body is singing out from the after-effects of Scott’s presence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little bit longer than anticipated but hopefully the content makes up for it! Going to start ramping up the tension a little because not everything can be soft all the time...

They curl up on her sofa as usual, although she’s pulled her soft grey blanket down over them, with whatever rom-com he had chosen that week playing softly in the background while his arm wraps around her, his fingers curling over her hip and gripping it slightly. She presses back against him and sighs quietly in relaxation as she does. His body is already growing familiar to her, the sharp angles of his frame and the solid planes of his chest fitting against her own slight figure like puzzle pieces.

Tessa rolls her eyes as the lead makes yet another stupid choice and she’s about to ask if he thinks that sort of thing could ever happen in real life when he speaks, low and husky and rasping right by the shell of her ear. 

“Tess. You can ask me to stop whenever you want. I don’t think you will.” 

Involuntarily, she shudders at his hot breath fluttering against her skin. She doesn’t move and he takes that as his cue to slide his hand lower and lower, brushing past the waistband of her leggings and slowly cupping her through her underwear. 

She turns her head to say something and he’s right there, pupils blown so wide with arousal that his eyes look practically black. She leans up to catch his bottom lip between her teeth and pulls just a little. A growl pulls from his throat and he pins her underneath him. 

Her body arches up, seeking his touch as it always seems to do around him. It meets nothing but empty air.

She wakes to her own heavy breathing, a quiet bedroom and a throbbing between her legs that won’t seem to leave. God, she fucking hates Simon for even suggesting this. She turns to check the clock and watches as the blinking red display mocks her. Three AM. Nothing good has ever happened at three AM. Somehow though, she knows that she’ll spend her whole night aching and wanting if she doesn’t do something about it and, furious at herself for doing it, she stands up to turn her shower on. 

She lets the hot water run until it’s almost scalding then steps in, relishing in the way her skin feels like it’s been set alight the same way her every nerve ending feels whenever she’s around Scott. It doesn’t take long for her hands to start wandering over her own body. It takes even less time before she’s falling apart around her own fingers, his name stuck in her throat. 

Burning with shame, she forces herself to get dressed and to sit at her desk working on some sketches until it’s a respectable hour. At eight AM, she texts Simon and asks for her next appointment to be pushed up to as soon as possible. 

\-- 

Which is how she finds herself sitting in Simon’s office on a Monday evening instead of her usual Wednesday slot. They sit in silence, with Tessa unsure of where to begin and Simon patiently waiting for her resolve to crack. 

On any other day, Tessa could make this a legitimate challenge for him but she’s frustrated and tired and she asked for the appointment to be moved so she really shouldn’t be making this difficult. “Okay, so...the touch therapy you recommended. It’s really nice. I’ve been sleeping better, I feel a bit calmer in general, all the things you expected…” 

“But?” Simon prompts, his pen poised above his notebook. She heaves a long, exaggerated sigh. 

“This is the third week of seeing him, we text fairly frequently, he’s incredibly attractive and now I’m having sex dreams about him because evidently I’m that wound up.” She says all of this on a sharp exhale, cheeks flaring red as she ducks her head to avoid Simon’s gaze. There’s an awful beat of silence and she chances a glance up at him. His brow is furrowed but not in judgement and his eyes are sparking just so. “Are you _laughing_ at me? Why does everyone think my emotional turmoil lately is so funny?”

“Not at all!” Simon rushes to reassure her, although there’s still a glint in his eye that betrays his amusement. “So, you think you’re developing feelings for him?”

The question makes her grimace, a sharp twist of her lips as she thinks for a moment. Feelings is such a loaded word. Sure she likes him and she’s attracted to him but feelings? Maybe a bit far. “I - I’m not sure it’s that deep. I’m just...” She trails off, not quite able to find the words for what she means. Trying to express her feelings is always Tessa at her clumsiest. She’s normally proud of how easily she can navigate the threads of a conversation. It does wonders at work considering how swiftly she can pivot back to sales pitches and weave a good, steady rapport. However, sitting in Simon’s office, confronted with her own roiling emotions, Tessa feels like those threads have tangled and become a knotted mess. If she pulls on any of them, the whole thing could come unravelling. 

“Tessa.” The reminder is gentle but enough to pull her from her reverie and she nods, ruffling her hair in frustration. 

“I’m with you, sorry.” 

Simon shakes his head and pushes his black rimmed glasses up on his nose. “Look, if you think this is just about sex, I think you should perhaps look elsewhere. See if a friend can set you up or something. You remember the agreement you would have signed on your first appointment with this man?”

Tessa groans and sinks down further in the seat, really beginning to wish that the ground would just open and swallow her whole. “You mean the one saying that it has to remain platonic and non-sexual? Shockingly, I remember that vividly.” She knows she’s being snappy and sighing, she pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales slowly. “Sorry. Yes. I remember. I know I can’t act on this.”

“Especially if you feel the therapy is helping. I suggest perhaps setting up a date with someone else and seeing if that can help you rein your feelings in for this man-”

“Scott.” She corrects automatically.

“Scott. Do you think you could do that?” He asks and she nods. It would be manageable, even if it isn’t ideal. Simon’s right though, the therapy is helpful and she isn’t sure whether it’s worth throwing all that away for sex. Plus she doesn’t even know if Scott’s single. 

“Okay, yes. Thank you. I’ll see you next week.” Tessa says, starting to feel a little more settled as she stands, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

\--

As far as Tessa’s concerned, her only goal for the week is to keep Scott out of her mind until their appointment on the Friday evening. Work feels a lot quieter now that the launch is out of the way. On one hand, she’s thankful for the brief reprieve but on the other, without work to keep them busy, Emily’s taken it upon herself to start interrogating Tessa about the mystery guy. She should have known that was going to come back to bite her in the ass. 

“Emily, he isn’t anyone - I was joking to get back at you,” Tessa huffs for the fourth time in about forty minutes. 

“Nope. I know when you’re lying - you’re awful at it, especially for a joke. You crack and start giggling,” the blonde says stubbornly, shaking her head. 

“Alright, fine. Do you want the truth?” 

Sure enough, that catches the other woman’s attention and she throws the paperwork she was reading down on the desk with an almighty thump. “Obviously! That’s why I’ve been asking for like an hour,” she says drily. 

“He’s sort of my therapist.” 

“Simon? Wow Tessa, that’s like a violation of the Hippocratic Oath or something.” Emily raises an eyebrow suspiciously and Tessa throws a pencil at her. 

“Let me finish. Simon recommended I go see this guy. He’s... oh, you’re gonna have a field day with this. He’s a touch therapist -” Emily stifles her laugh as Tessa glares. “His job is essentially to cuddle with me because I’m apparently that touch starved.” 

“Tessa, that’s… kind of sad, are you alright?”

“Just peachy, thanks. Or I would be except for that fact that I’m annoyingly attracted to him and I was trying not to think about him this week but you’ve kind of ruined that.” 

Emily grins sheepishly and wanders over to sling an arm around Tessa’s shoulders. “Sorry. You going to do anything about it?” 

“Can’t. We signed a contract saying it would be strictly platonic and non-sexual.” Tessa lets her head fall onto her desk with a resounding thud and grimaces at the dull pain that radiates through her skull from the impact. “Maybe you should set me up on a date,” she grumbles.

“You want me to?” Emily asks, glancing down at Tessa who heaves out a long sigh. 

“Sure. Why not? Not like I’m getting anywhere with Scott.” 

\--

The rest of the week passes without incident and by that, Tessa means that she spends it thinking of nothing but Scott and cursing her own luck to have ended up in this situation in the first place. By the time she’s clocking out on Friday evening, she’s a nervous wreck.

T minus ten minutes until Scott arrives and Tessa’s showered twice, changed her outfit three times, battled her hair into a high bun with strategic tendrils framing her face and even elected to put on light makeup. She’s not really sure why she’s trying so hard when she should be trying to repress her crush but it’s fine. She isn’t going to think too hard until after the appointment. Then she can settle down with a glass of wine and do what she does best - analyse and compartmentalise. 

Her door goes and Tessa’s on her feet like a shot, springing up to open the door and gesture him in. She’s aware that she’s all restless energy and it takes him a single glance to notice. 

“Whoa, T, you okay?” 

Great. He’s got a new nickname for her. Really, that’s just excellent and exactly what she needs right now. Aware that her thoughts are spiralling in a mildly hysterical fashion, she swiftly nods and gestures for him to head into the living room. “Yeah, fine!” She chirps and hates the slightly pitchy tone to her voice.

He frowns and tilts his head. “You sure?” He looks so endearingly concerned that she’s a step away from either confessing everything or from locking herself firmly in her bedroom and not leaving for like...a week. Maybe two. 

“Absolutely! Just...uh…” _Find an excuse, Tessa._ “Just coming down from the stress of last week at last, I guess!” Alright, not her best but it’ll do. Judging from Scott’s vaguely bemused expression, he doesn’t entirely believe her but he nods anyway. 

“Okay. Uh. Remember you set all the boundaries here so feel free to say no…” She hates where this is going already but she nods for him to continue anyway. “Would it be better for you if we used your bedroom?

No surprise, she really hates where this has gone. “Oh. Okay, yeah, that’s fine. I’m jus-” 

“We don’t have to!” He cuts her off, blushing almost as hard as she’s sure she is. “I just thought...you’re kind of restless today and maybe the extra space would be nice?” 

He’s being thoughtful. Of course he is. The thundering of her heart slows fractionally and she nods, more sure now. “No, that makes sense. Thank you. Yeah. It’s...It’s this way.” She murmurs, heading down the hall to her bedroom and praying that she had left it tidy that morning. Thankfully enough, when she pushes the door open, it’s to a presentable enough room. 

She perches on the bed, nervous for a moment while his eyes flit around the room. Eventually, they light upon the photos she keeps on her chest of drawers and he grins, wandering over. “Is this you skating here?” The question is fond as he grins over his shoulder at her. Unable to resist, she joins him, her shoulder bumping his as she glances down at the photo - one from when she was around 16, in a flowing, pale pink dress and mid jump. 

“Yeah. Not long before I gave it up but that’s me, yeah.” Tessa knows her voice is softer than usual, tinged with the nostalgia of the photo. 

“You look good - you must have been talented.” Her cheeks flame with warmth again and she smiles sheepishly back at him. 

“I was alright.” With that, she backs up to sit on her bed, wondering whether or not to turn on any music. He grins and flops down beside her, groaning in relief as he hits the mattress. She ignores the way the sound shoots right through her. Instead, she focuses in on the hand he’s extended to her and takes it after a beat. He tugs her down to lie beside him and her heart starts up its traitorous thundering again. 

\--

She’s not quite sure when they move but around ten minutes before the end of the session, she notices that they’re practically pressed entirely against each other, noses brushing as they chat. The realisation hits her very suddenly and she stops mid-sentence, tongue flicking out to dampen her lips. She prays she isn’t imagining the way his gaze follows the movement of her tongue and darkens in response. 

“You alright?” He checks in and she nods once, not trusting her voice. “Okay.” He whispers in return, hesitantly bridging the last gap between them to lay a hand on her hip and squeeze it briefly. 

The sensation is so achingly like what she dreamt that she catches herself just before she arches up and whines. She wonders if he sees any of this in her face. He must because he withdraws his hand and she sighs softly. “Sorry. Just unexpected.” Tessa whispers and he smiles brilliantly in response, shifting slightly to reach up. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he murmurs as the pads of his fingers skim across her cheekbone, moving stray strands of hair out of her face. She’s not sure but she thinks she’s holding her breath. Scott’s smile turns soft and curious as he gazes at her. “You have beautiful eyes, you know? They’re this gorgeous shade of green.” 

The sheer level of earnestness in his voice is enough to make her avert her gaze from his, scrabbling for an appropriate response. “Oh. That’s so nice, thank you,” she gets out and cringes the second she does. _Real smooth, Virtue._ He doesn’t seem to care that much though and laughs, still as bright as ever, before pulling her flush against him. She giggles on reflex, burying her face into his chest in an attempt to hide while she quells the blush rising rapidly on her cheeks. Her legs are twisted awkwardly between them though and she huffs in frustration as she shifts, trying to free them and settle into a more comfortable position. She’s been wriggling for a few minutes when she feels him tense under her. She’s about to push herself up to meet his gaze and ask what’s wrong when she feels it for herself. Sure enough, his erection is pressed up against her thigh and she can already feel him pulling out of the embrace. 

He looks mortified, naturally, and she scrambles up to sit by his side, a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s fine. It’s fine, I’m not upset or anything,” she rushes to reassure him, although she’s aware her voice is trembling. “I’ll...uh...go get some water for you or something.” The unspoken subtext hangs heavy in the air. She’s giving him a minute to collect himself and, as he nods, muttering his thanks, she knows it’s appreciated. 

Of course, not that her offer was entirely selfless. Instead, she stands in her kitchen for a moment, downing her own glass of water in the hopes that it would douse the burning flames of arousal that he had just stoked. It takes her a few minutes to calm herself sufficiently before she fills a glass of water for Scott and heads back to her bedroom. He’s still sat where she left him although he looks mildly more composed so she thinks nothing of sitting beside him, bumping his shoulder with hers as she passes him the glass. She doesn’t, however, expect him to freeze up quite as much as he does and she frowns as he takes a long swig of the water and stands almost immediately. 

“I have to go, I... uh, have kids who asked for an extra skating lesson. I forgot to say but I really should get going.” He says, gesturing slightly maniacally. She does nothing but blink at him for a long moment before sighing and standing too.

“Of course. I left the money on the kitchen table, hold on.” She murmurs, turning to head through again. 

“It’s fine, Tess. I’ll just get it next time or whatever - I’m really running late.” And with that, he’s brushing past her to grab his jacket from the sofa. “I’ll… I’ll see you next week, I guess.” 

“Yeah. Next week.” She says, a little taken aback as the door closes sharply behind him. Tessa walks around her house for a few moments in a fugue before sinking down on the edge of the bed. What the hell had that meant? She knew it wasn’t unusual for that to be a reaction - they had discussed it in her phone consultation - but actually experiencing it? That was a whole other ballgame. His reaction had even surprised her. He had seemed more horrified by it than her. Did that indicate anything about how he felt about her? The thought haunts her and, with it swirling around incessantly in her head, she leans over to pick up his discarded glass of water, catching a hint of a familiar scent. 

Her bed sheets smell like him. God, she’s fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on Tumblr @eclecticenergies


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry this took so long! this chapter really wasn't happening for me for a long time but we got there in the end. a healthy dose of awkwardness for both of them and maybe, just maybe, there's a turning point on the horizon.

Over the past two days, Tessa has managed to only text Scott five times and really, she counts that as a win. She had stopped trying to reassure him that she wasn’t upset by the events of last week in the third text and instead just mentioned possible movies for next week or even asking if he wanted her to buy in that chocolate he really liked. So far, no response. She’s pretending that it isn’t getting to her at all, even if she does jump several feet into the air every time her phone dings with a text notification. 

Thankfully, she’s mostly managed to put it out of her head while at work and is currently deep into her latest sketch, her earphones blaring some ridiculous angsty pop playlist she had found on Spotify when she feels one of them being yanked out. “Hey!” The response is sharper than she intended but when she looks up to see a frantic looking Emily, she sobers fast. 

“Emily? What’s wrong?” She asks, dropping her pencil and tugging her other earphone out. 

“Okay, so you know we had that shoot planned with Harper’s Bazaar to promote the line we’re planning for Fashion Week and that really sweet model, Lucy, signed on?” 

“Yes.” Tessa blinks up at her, confused as to where this was going.

“So… Lucy’s pulled out. Something about a family emergency and literally no one else is prepared to take up a shoot today - I've been checking. We need a model.” Emily exhales, pushing her hair away from her face.

“Okay. I can call a couple of agencies and see if we can get anyone - I have a few contacts, maybe I can get them roped in. There’s a really pretty girl I know who’s friends with a photographer I know, maybe she’d be game - she’s local.” 

“Tessa. The prep for the shoot starts in an hour. We don't have time. The editor and I were thinking that maybe…”

“No. Emily, no. I'm absolutely not going to model our own line.” Tessa says flatly. “I'll find a model.”

“Tessa, there's not time and you know it. Come on, it's only one shoot. It'll be fun! You love Harper’s Bazaar!” Emily pleads, eyes wide. “It’s one shoot, you’re no stranger to cameras and you’re gorgeous - it’ll be fine! I would do it but you know being in front of cameras alone makes me freeze up.” 

Setting her smoke-grey glasses down and pinching the bridge of her nose, Tessa sighs heavily and sweeps her hair into a messy high bun. She knows she isn't going to win this fight. “Fine. Whatever. You have the address of the studio, right?” She mutters, standing up and slinging her blazer on. 

“You’re a gem - it’s on the Post-It on my desk. Have fun!” Emily chirps and Tessa resists the urge to throw an inappropriate hand gesture at her in return. 

She arrives to the shoot in record time, apologising profusely about the hold up but she’s merely swept in by a stylist. The editor of the magazine pops her head in and smiles brightly at Tessa. “Ah good, Miss Virtue, you made it! Very exciting that you agreed to this. Shame to hear about your model, she would have been wonderful but it’s so interesting to have a designer model their own work for us. Do you have time to stay and give a bit more of an in depth interview?” 

“Of course, yes!” Tessa answers swiftly, a bright smile curving her lips as the hair stylist gets to work on her. She might as well commit to the entire experience after all.

\-- 

The shoot essentially takes all day, especially with the interview in between shots and whenever they can catch a minute but Tessa finds that she enjoyed it a whole lot more than she expected and even takes to her Instagram account to share a few cryptic snaps throughout the day. Just enough to tease. 

Not that it stays cryptic for long, of course. 

The editor in chief shares a candid snap of Tessa laughing with the photographer and the internet goes wild. Electing to ride the wave, Tessa uses some of the outtakes for her own Instagram post and watches as articles begin popping up about it, left, right and centre. 

Her particular favourite is one declaring that she’s ‘Canada’s Hottest Export’ and, laughing, she forwards it to Emily with a simple text. 

_See what you’ve done now?!_

The reply is instantaneous; 

_Maybe it’ll catch the attention of some guys._

And just like that, she’s thinking of Scott again. Dammit. She hates that part of her hopes that he’ll see it. Knowing that he could possibly be attracted to her was just too much. She needed confirmation. 

As she leaves, she waves goodbye to the editor, takes some photos with the photographer and stylists then heads home, brain awhirl with possibilities. Her plan doesn’t solidify until later that night when she gets the final photos emailed to her. She’s allowed to post them on the Friday morning. Excellent. 

\--

Friday morning rolls around faster than Tessa anticipated and, by 10am, she and Emily are hunching over her phone, trying to decide what photo to put on her Instagram. “What about that one in the red?”

“Hm, you don’t think it’s too much? It’s all a bit Roxanne.” Tessa frowns. 

“Roxanne. How old are you?” Emily scoffs before nodding. “But I see your point. The black? It suits you - you should wear that piece more often. I know you stole one of them.”

“I did no such thing and I’m offended that you’d think so,” she giggles, “But yeah, okay, maybe the black is the best option.” Without another thought, Tessa selects the photo of her in the black mesh bodysuit and the faux leather pants. She really does like the photo, likes how the slightly smokey eyeshadow makes her green eyes pop and how her dark hair is artfully arranged in the perfect blend of stylish but not too polished. Adding a few emojis and the appropriate credits, she hits post, turns her Instagram notifications off and returns to work. 

The rest of the day passes without incident and before she knows it, she’s leaving work with her phone pressed to her ear, as she chats to her sister. 

“I know mom’s disappointed that I’m not coming home for Christmas, Jordan, but we have so much to do. I think we’re doing Fashion Week again this year and we really want to get a head start on that - you saw how much that exhausted me last year.”

“I know, I know. I’ll have to come visit you in Montreal before I go back to work though. Good job on that shoot though - you looked stunning! I’m getting plenty of messages asking if, and I quote, my hot little sister is single.”

“How charming,” Tessa replies drily, climbing into her car. 

“Well, are you? Single, I mean. Not hot - everyone can see that you’re hot.” Jordan asks, her voice taking on a sly tone and Tessa groans. 

“I’m hanging up now. Gotta go, have to drive home. Goodbye Jordan, love you.”

“You’re boring but yes, love you too, Tessa.” Jordan huffs before a click sounds, indicating that her sister had hung up first. Typical Jordan, always prepared to get the last word in.

Once home, Tessa goes through the usual motions of her pre-Scott ritual; showering, moisturising, drying her hair until it falls in loose natural waves, dressing in comfortable clothes and settling down on the sofa to wait. Eventually, she tucks herself into the corner seat of her sofa and opens up her Instagram app, scrolling through the multitude of comments she had received throughout the course of the day. She responds to a few of the more interesting questions, taps like on a handful of kind compliments and is halfway through replying to her sister’s comment when the door goes. 

She pads over, phone still in hand as she finishes typing. “Evening Scott.” She murmurs, stepping back to let him in before sliding her phone into her hoodie pocket and looking up at him for the first time. Tessa blinks in surprise, tucking her dark hair behind her ears as she takes in the shadows under his eyes and his furrowed brow. 

“Sorry, evening Tessa.” He replies, voice low before stepping past her to the living room. She frowns at his back and follows, watching as he sets his wallet, keys and phone on her coffee table before sitting down on her sofa. Okay. So they were staying in the living room tonight. 

Hesitantly, Tessa perches beside him and picks up the TV remote, clicking Netflix. “Any ideas for movies tonight?” 

“Your choice,” he shrugs, leaning back in an attempt to look casual and Tessa frowns before hitting one of the romcoms at random. The opening scene of Legally Blonde starts playing and, carefully, she sits back, trying not to disturb him. 

It takes him a whole fifteen minutes before his arm eventually creeps down to rest around her shoulders and even then, she can feel the tension radiating from him. They sit in silence and, where before it might have been comfortable, Tessa is hyper-aware of how tightly coiled all of his muscles are and of the awkwardness that had settled over them. 

“Are you okay?” She asks quietly, canting her head to lean slightly on his shoulder as she looks up at him. The furrow between his brows is particularly prominent from this angle and she frowns deeply. He glances down at her and nods.

“Yeah, of course. Just been a long week. Busy. That’s all. I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” Tessa leans forward to hit pause on the movie and he shakes his head. “No, it’s fine, leave it running,” he murmurs, catching her wrist then dropping it suddenly as if he had been burnt. 

He hurries off in the direction of her bathroom and she huffs, putting her head in her hands. She breaks out of her momentary despair when his phone starts incessantly buzzing on the table. Sighing, she stands to shout for him when she catches sight of the texts flooding in. 

_Wait, Tessa Virtue is your client??? Dude, what the fuck?_

_Scotty, if you aren’t banging her, I will._

_Sign me up for whatever weird job you do if you get girls that look like she does._

_She’s literally all over the internet today, why aren’t you fucking her again?_

_Oh man, no wonder you’re having a crisis over this girl. She’s hot as hell._

The texts continue to appear but Tessa sits down heavily again. Hearing the bathroom door open, she quickly flips his phone face down then sits back, gazing vacantly at the television as the last text runs around in circles in her head. What the hell was that meant to mean? 

He sits back down next to her and she half-heartedly gestures to his phone. “Your... you got messages or something. Quite a few - someone’s obviously desperate to speak to you.” She tries for a laugh but it catches in her throat. He glances at her quickly. 

“Oh. Sorry, I should have turned it off,” he says, leaning forward to do so almost immediately. He sits back and Tessa carefully shifts slightly closer, relief flooding her as he instinctively lifts an arm for her to curl under. She knows that they’re both tense now, both processing the odd change in the energy between them but it feels strange now, to sit beside him and not be touching him. 

By the time the film ends, they still haven’t had an entire conversation but Tessa is sprawled out more comfortably with her head against his chest and his hands running through her hair so carefully and gently that she kind of wants to cry. The credits barely start rolling and Scott is moving as if to get up so she scrambles away and passes him the money silently. He nods and flashes a half smile. “I’ll see you next week?” She asks hopefully.

“Oh. Yeah, I can’t make it next week. Uh, my skaters and I have a competition so I’m going to be out of town. I should have said, sorry.” He adds, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and Tessa feels her heart drop. 

Praying it doesn’t show on her face, she nods in response. “No, that’s… that’s fine. Week after then?” 

“Yeah. Week after. See you then, Tess.” The weight on her chest lifts slightly at the familiar nickname and she smiles as she lets him out. He doesn’t return it, not properly. As soon as the door shuts, she sits down heavily on the floor of her hallway, mostly just confused. She had expected some initial awkwardness after last week but the way he had retreated into himself was surprising. Maybe he really wasn’t that into her and that was why he was uncomfortable about it. If it was that, all the texts from his friends that she had seen would only be making it worse.

And of course, she’s embarrassing herself around him. With that in mind, Tessa heads back to the living room and calls Emily. “Em, I need you to do me a favour. Remember I asked about the blind date you were going to set me up on?” 

“Yes and then you never said when you were free so I didn’t bother. Assumed you were trying it with therapy boy.” Her friend’s tone is fond but exasperated and Tessa sighs. 

“I’m free next Friday night. Set it up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on tumblr; @eclecticenergies


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was kind of like pulling teeth but we got there in the end! these kids, honestly.

“I can hear you thinking.” 

“Shut up.” 

Tessa lets her hair out of its ridiculously tight ponytail and massages her scalp as she glares down at the phone Emily has shoved in front of her. She’s meant to be snooping - or performing reconnaissance if you asked Emily - on the guy she had arranged to meet tonight for her blind date. 

In truth, she regrets ever setting it up. Her week had been spent suffering through radio silence with Scott, throwing herself into her work and resolutely not thinking about the impending date. “So? What do you think of him?” Emily prompts, shuffling closer to bump her shoulder against Tessa’s. 

“He seems nice enough. He has a dog which wins him points in my book, I guess.” Tessa smiles slightly, tucking her hair behind her ears. Emily laughs and nods, swiping through his photos to find one of his husky puppy. 

“It’s a cute dog, to be fair,” Emily grins, swinging on her chair lazily. “I promise though, Thomas is lovely - you should get along well. Do you have a plan for what you’re going to wear?” 

“Absolutely not, when do I ever?” Tessa responds, sliding Emily’s phone back to her. 

“You’re the worst. I’ll send you my Pinterest board of first date outfits and you can pick one.” 

“I have my own Pinterest board,” Tessa grumbles but waves Emily on anyway. She didn’t care enough about the date tonight to extensively plan an outfit. “Maybe I’ll wear my black trousers, that green silk top and my black heels,” she offers up, smiling wryly as Emily claps her hands enthusiastically. 

“Yes. That’s a solid plan. Good work.”

\--- 

The rest of the day progresses in a similar fashion, Tessa working away diligently on future projects while Emily occasionally calls over to ask various questions about what the date was going to be like. By six pm, Tessa was entirely ready to leave. As she stands to leave, slinging her bag over her shoulder and waving a silent goodbye to Emily who had been fighting with their supplier on the phone for about ten minutes, Tessa pulls her phone out of her pocket. She’s standing outside her car, halfway through a text to Scott before she remembers that tonight wouldn’t be spent in his company. Sighing, she deletes the message she’s written and instead types out a simpler one; 

_Weird to not see you this week. Good luck at the competition though!_

She adds her favourite double heart emoji and hits send before grimacing. Okay, so maybe that hadn’t been her finest move if she was trying to step back from him. Shaking her head, Tessa throws her phone back into her bag, starts up her engine and pulls out of the parking lot, berating herself the whole way home. 

Once home, she carefully lays out everything in preparation. Her outfit is placed on her bed meticulously, her makeup bag unpacked so she can grab everything freely and her curlers plugged in to heat up. After a quick scroll through her Spotify, she settles on her favourite playlist to listen to whenever she needs a confidence boost and puts her phone onto charge while the music blares out.

Carefully, she begins the soothing process of curling her hair, pinning it all up in sections before slowly and methodically getting to work. She’s just finishing the final layer when the music dips, signifying a new text message and sighing, she rises from where she had settled in front of her full length mirror. She picks up her phone, her heart skipping a beat when she sees Scott’s name on the screen. Stupid. Quickly, she taps the message to open it up and smiles softly at his reply.

_Thanks T. Weird not seeing you too. Enjoy your weekend._

No emojis but he had used his newest nickname for her so maybe they were alright. Feeling a tad more settled, she replies with a smiling emoji and the dancing girl before setting her phone aside again. Makeup next, although she bites her lips when she realises her hands are trembling slightly as she reaches for the brush. She really has to move on. 

Eventually, she’s ready. The green silk top she eventually chose drapes nicely around her, the black trousers accentuate lean, muscular legs and she slips on a pair of black heels to finish it off. At the last second, she picks up her black blazer just in case the wind has a chill and disconnects her phone. 

A final check to make sure everything is unplugged and that everything she could possibly need is in her bag before she smooths out her shirt and exhales slowly. The date would be fine. 

\---

Tessa is settled in their reserved booth at the restaurant Thomas had recommended precisely on time, with a glass of her favourite red wine. She swirls it lazily around the glass, checking her watch every so often as she waits. Normally, punctuality was important to her but she had promised Emily that she would at least give this a go and so, she stays put, sipping at her wine. 

Half an hour after they had arranged to meet, a man she recognises as Thomas from all the social media stalking earlier, strolls in and settles himself opposite her in the booth. “Tessa, right? Sorry I’m late, I was caught up at work,” he says with a charming smile. 

Tessa waves her hand lazily, as if dismissing his apology. “No, it’s fine. I understand.” Of course, if that had been her, she would have texted her date to let them know that she would have been late. No matter. “I hope you don’t mind, I already ordered a drink for myself,” she says, raising her wine glass halfway to her lips in explanation. 

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Thomas replies lightly, clicking his fingers to summon a waitress. Tessa bites back a grimace at that, masking it with another sip of her wine. The girl who comes over can’t be more than eighteen or nineteen and Tessa shoots her an apologetic smile as Thomas orders a beer. 

“I’ll have the steak - medium-rare, not rare - and she’ll have the salmon.” He says lazily, taking the menu from her and passing them both to the waitress who glances at Tessa. Tessa blinks back in response, slightly taken aback. 

“Um. Okay. Can I have another red wine too?” Tessa asks hesitantly and the waitress nods quickly, hurrying away.

“So, Emily says that you’re a lawyer?” She starts, trying to smile lightly as Thomas nods sharply. 

“Oh yeah. I work for the firm up town - you know the really exclusive one? I should be making partner any day now. They say I’m one of their best lawyers.” Tessa tries not to frown as he begins to brag. There was nothing wrong with a bit of pride in your career choice but this was something else. He continues to wax poetic about how incredible his firm was and, quietly, Tessa nods in the appropriate places and hums in response when there’s a lull. She could kill Emily right now.

Their food is surprisingly quick to be served which Tessa is sure has to be some kind of miracle, or possibly the waitress feeling sorry for her and putting a rush on their order. In truth, she’s lucky that she likes salmon and that the restaurant does a lovely job with it but she’s no less annoyed about the whole situation. Add to that the fact that Thomas is consistently checking his phone and the few sly comments about how she’s ‘not like other girls’ and Tessa is royally pissed off by the time they finish. 

“Why don’t you order coffees? I’m going to the bathroom. Afterwards, we can have dessert at mine,” he smirks, standing up and strolling off to the bathroom. Within seconds, Tessa whips out her phone and dials Emily’s number. “I’m going to kill you,” she hisses down the line as soon as the other woman picks up. 

“Whoa, ouch. What have I done lately?” Emily’s drowsy voice answers. On another day, Tessa would have felt bad for interrupting her when she was obviously about to sleep but not today. 

“Your blind date that you set up is awful and I would murder you but he’s coming back so pretend there’s an emergency,” Tessa mutters frantically as she schools her expression into one of concern. Thomas sits down and goes to speak but Tessa shakes her head quickly. “Oh, mom, that’s awful! I’ll be there as soon as I can, I’m sorry.” She says, injecting a note of horror into her voice before hanging up on Emily’s amused reply. “Thomas, I’m so sorry, but my mom just phoned to let me know that my sister’s injured herself. I really have to go. It’s been lovely meeting you, I’m sorry to cut this short.” Tessa adds hurriedly, quickly putting down the appropriate amount of cash to cover her half of the bill and a hefty tip.

As she leaves the restaurant, she pulls her phone back out to text Emily. 

_Sorry. I’m still mad though. Brunch tomorrow and I’ll tell you everything? x_

Within seconds, Emily replies and Tessa relaxes fractionally at her friend’s response; 

_Deal. I want every detail. Go home and order take out on me if you want x_

Sighing, Tessa drapes her black blazer over her arm and starts the walk back to her apartment, although the thought of returning to the empty place isn’t exactly appealing. Her gaze catches on the sign for a tiny bar, probably nothing exciting but maybe somewhere she can kill some time before she absolutely has to go home. With nothing better to do, she turns on her heels and pushes through the door. 

Her eyes light upon a stool at the bar and quickly, she moves over and hops up onto it, flagging down the bartender to order another wine. Possibly not her best idea since she hasn’t drank in a while and her previous two have already gone straight to her head but she’s certain that one more won’t do any harm. 

She’s sipping at it slowly when she feels a palpable shift in the air. Shaking her head, she focuses back in on her wine and on scrolling lazily through her Instagram. Then she hears a familiar laugh and her head snaps up. She knows that laugh and it absolutely belongs to someone who shouldn’t be in town. Her anger from earlier comes flooding back and Tessa downs the last of her wine, resisting the impulse to slam her glass down on the bar just in case it smashed. Turning on her heels in a flurry of dark hair, she stalks towards the source of the offending noise and spots him; broad shoulders, fluffy hair, laughing casually as if he hadn’t just lied to her. 

She clears her throat as pointedly as she can manage and places her hands on her hips, trying to look intimidating. This was the Tessa who walked into business meetings like she was preparing for war. 

Ripples of whispers pass through the group and Scott’s laugh dies in his throat as his buddies gesture for him to turn around. Sure enough, when he does, Tessa is glowering at him. She knows she must look strange, dressed up a little, with far more makeup than he’s used to seeing her with and, no doubt, with a flush high on her cheeks from the anger and the wine. “Imagine running into you here.” She says drily, taking a certain amount of satisfaction in the shock that spreads across his face. 

“Tess, I-” 

“Save it, Scott.” She bites out, turning on her heels and making for the door. She’s halfway out when she feels his hand close around her wrist.

“I can explain.” He murmurs, following her out. Sighing, she spreads her arms wide.

“I’m all ears.” 

That seems to take him by surprise and he stutters slightly, a hand lifting to ruffle his hair. She distinctly does not think about running her hands through it. She's absolutely still angry at him and should not be thinking about his hair. “Look. I just...I needed time, I guess? I feel really awkward after last time."

"So you lied?" Tessa snaps, glaring at him with as much force as she can muster. "Why would you bother doing that? You could have just told me the truth and I would have been fine!"

"I know. I shouldn't have lied," he sighs, aggrieved. "I didn't want you to feel bad and I definitely didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Tessa scoffs at that, deliberately turning her gaze away from him. “I made it quite clear that I wasn’t uncomfortable. It’s fine if you don’t want to continue this any longer, I’ll find someone else. You don’t have to be nice to spare my feelings.” 

“I didn’t say that!” He rushes to correct her, brow furrowed. 

“Really? Well it’s sure as hell what it seems like to me, Scott!” She retorts, stepping forward to encroach on his personal space, breathing hard with anger. “I get it - you don’t care about me. I know I’m the only one here who’s struggling with boundaries,” Tessa hisses out the last word, her finger coming up to stab at his chest just to drive her point home. 

His hand catches hers, pressing it flat as he looks down at her with something liquid, dark and unreadable in his gaze. “You think you’re the only one struggling with boundaries here, Tessa?” He asks, his voice taking on a disbelieving note.

The tension drains from her frame slightly as she looks up at him, ignoring how her head starts to swim a little. “I’m not?” Her voice catches slightly, a note of confusion colouring it. 

She isn’t sure when she had backed him up against the wall. She isn’t sure who moves first, whether it’s her hand fisting in his shirt or his coming up to pull her hips in. She does know that when his lips slant over hers, she feels her breath leave her. It’s not slow and sweet like she had imagined. They’re gripping at each other, two drowning souls trying desperately to stay afloat. His teeth nip at her plush lower lip and she parts them without thinking, gasping softly against him as his tongue swipes through her mouth.

They stay there, drinking each other in for who knows how long but then his hips cant slightly against hers and she comes crashing back to the earth, realising what they’ve done. Panting, she pulls back and staggers out of his arms. “I can’t. We can’t.” Her hand comes up to her mouth, fruitlessly trying to clean up her lipstick and watching as he dazedly comes to his senses, the same realisation dawning in those gorgeous hazel eyes.

“I know.” He murmurs, staring at her like he was trying to memorise every detail of her face. “I know, I’m sorry. I just had to know.” At that, she steps forward and drags her thumb across his lips to clear away some traces of her lipstick. 

“I did too,” she whispers. “But now, I’m going to walk away and once I’m gone, we’re going to pretend this didn’t happen. A drunken encounter. It’ll go back to normal.” She’s still in his personal space and he nods once, although there's uncertainty flickering in his gaze. She understands, she can feel it gripping at her heart too. Tessa steels herself, smiles and leans up to press a final, chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Good night, Scott.”

“Night Tess.” 

With that, Tessa moves to leave, although she can feel his gaze burning into her back as she does. Sure enough, a moment later, she hears his voice again. “Tessa?” She turns around to catch his gaze. “See you next week?” He asks softly, a tiny smile curving his lips and she laughs.

“I’ll see you next week.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long time no see, kiddos. i would have an excuse for this but honestly, life just got hectic and i got lazy. but we're here. home stretch, lads.

Okay so, Tessa didn’t see him the following week. She hadn’t meant to freak out entirely but sometimes life just swung that way and now she was firmly ensconcing herself in her work in an attempt to stop thinking about his lips on hers and the way he had grasped her hips so firmly. Saturday rolls around and Tessa finds herself tucked in the corner of her home office, trying to focus on the accounting she had promised Emily she’d do over the weekend. Sighing, she sits back, stretching her back and grimacing as it cracks loudly. 

She had phoned Scott earlier in the week and cancelled with her best apologetic tone, citing an illness that she absolutely didn’t want him to catch. He had sounded disappointed but understanding and her stomach had twisted in guilt as she hung up. She supposes it wasn’t technically lying, the thought of seeing him had given her so much anxiety that her headaches had spiked to record levels over the past week. 

Breathing deeply, Tessa moves all the accounting work to the side and lays her head on her desk. If she’s entirely honest, she knows she isn’t going to finish it until she can organise her thoughts about the Scott dilemma, as she’s taken to calling it. Carefully, she pulls a fresh sheet of paper out of her notebook and gets to making a list.   
[](http://s1244.photobucket.com/user/rebeccagault07/media/tessa%20list_zpsebbnx6n9.png.html)

An hour later and she’s still staring at the list. Her logical brain keeps telling her that the pros by far outweigh the cons and therefore, she really should just call the man and ask him on a date. There’s a part of her though that’s still stuck on that first con. Simon had always taught her to put her own health first and, if the therapy with Scott was helping her take care of her mental state, surely she shouldn’t risk that? Groaning in defeat, she slumps in her chair, running her hand through her birds nest hair. “Okay, Tessa. You are a woman who has her shit together. Relatively. You just need a plan,” she murmurs to herself. Pep talks never were her forte but she could sure as hell motivate herself. 

“Okay. Okay, what are we going to do? I really like him. I think he likes me. Maybe I should test the waters a little more. How are we going to do that?” She stands from her chair and begins pacing her living room, humming under her breath as she thinks. “So, it’s December. Christmas present maybe?” 

With that decided, Tessa heaves a long sigh and picks up her phone. She hadn’t touched the thing in about twelve hours and, wincing, she scrolls past all the unread messages from her mother, Emily, Simon and Scott to find the number that she wants. Steeling herself, she taps the green call icon and lifts the phone to her ear. 

“Hi Marie. Is Patch there? I have a favour to ask him. I’d owe you so much if you could arrange this for me. He is? Excellent, could you put him on?” 

It takes them just under an hour and a half to arrange everything for Scott’s gift before conversation turns to the man himself.

“Ma chérie, we’ve never seen you go to these lengths for anyone. Who is this Scott? Someone special perhaps?” Marie asks lightly and Tessa feels a blush rise on her cheeks before she clears her throat.

“Just a friend. We’re close but I think I’ve upset the balance in the friendship so I’m trying to fix it,” she says vaguely, praying the other woman won’t pry.

Marie hums curiously. “I’m not quite sure that’s true, my dearest. Tell me everything.” 

And Tessa has never been good at saying no to Marie so she sighs and does exactly that. She isn’t sure how long she speaks for before she trails off with a quiet, “...so yeah.” 

“Forgive me for prying but I think that your singular con from your list is a minor one compared to everything else that could be so wonderful,” Marie says thoughtfully. 

“I know, Marie, but aside from all the…feelings that have come along with it, he really does help me relax and it’s selfish but I don’t think I could give that up if we ever broke up.” 

“And what makes you so sure that you would break up, ma chérie?” 

“I mean...I’m not sure that we would,” Tessa admits quietly. “And just - ever since we kissed, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him.” 

“Well then. Maybe you should talk to him at the very least. Give him a call,” the older woman prompts. 

“I can’t call, he’s at the rink just now - he coaches ice dance too.” 

Marie laughs in delight on the other end of the phone. “Oh, you positively attract them. Maybe you would have thrived as an ice dancer in another life.” 

“Maybe. And I haven’t skated since New Year,” Tessa says thoughtfully. 

“Billie-Rose would have a heart attack if she heard you say such a thing - she still thinks you’re the best skater in the whole world.” 

Tessa laughs in response and shakes her head. “Send all my love to her. I’ll see you all soon I hope?” 

“Of course. Enjoy skating today, hm?” 

She hangs up, feeling lighter than she had all week. Talking to Marie had a knack for doing that to her, for putting all her problems into perspective and giving her a far clearer view on the matter. With a lightness in her step, she hurries to grab a shower before going anywhere. 

It doesn’t take long before her hair is freshly washed and dried, she’s dressed in a cute black Adidas set that she hasn’t worn yet and she’s rooting around in her closet for her skates. She finds them eventually and sighs, sitting back on her haunches to run a fond finger across the white leather. Time to go. 

The drive to the local rink seems to take double the time it should take and Tessa wonders if part of it is Saturday afternoon traffic but the truth is, it’s probably more to do with the nerves that are making her heart thunder in her chest. She pulls into the parking lot, kills the engine and attempts to settle her breathing before slipping into the rink. 

The sharp, brisk scent of the rink is enough to settle her nerves almost immediately and Tessa swings down onto one of the benches to discard her trainers, sliding her skates on instead. She takes her time with the laces, methodically tightening them. Almost as soon as she finishes tying them, she hears a familiar voice. 

“Good work, kids! Do you wanna try the step sequence again?” 

Part of Tessa recoils in anxiety at the sound but a bigger part of her relaxes entirely at Scott’s voice. She had missed him over the past week, even if she didn’t want to admit that. Taking three long breaths, Tessa stands and makes her way over to the rink entrance, taking in the half that is set out for public use while Scott and his junior ice dance teams use the other half. Here goes nothing. She steps onto the ice and allows her muscle memory to take over. She knows she’s out of practice, can sense it in the slight shakiness of her movements, but within a few minutes, she grows used to the sensation of being on the ice again and starts stroking around the rink with sure, confident movements. 

She’s been skating for about fifteen minutes before she notices that a lot of the other skaters had drifted off the ice and, delighted, she takes the chance to skate into the centre, fully intending on practicing some spins and jumps. It had been a while but she’s certain that she’s still capable of some decent work. It takes a second before she finds the courage but soon, Tessa is back in the rhythm of it and lands a perfectly respectable axel. She had forgotten the rush that skating gives her and, smiling broadly, she throws herself into more jumps. 

It isn’t until she sticks the landing for a clean double axel that she hears the wolf whistle. Glancing up, she’s ready to yell at whoever is disturbing her when she realises. Scott. The reason she had come in the first place. “Not bad, Tess. Thought you were out of practice.” He says, skating over and stopping with the sort of fluid grace that proved he spent all his time on the ice. 

“Well. I skate once or twice a year but I did it for so long that it all kind of...comes rushing back. Hi,” she whispers, breathing hard from the exertion. 

“Hi. Look, Tess, I’m really sorry about...everything. I know I shouldn’t have lied to you about going out of town just so I could avoid you. It wasn’t fair to you - you deserved the truth. I’m...really sorry. We can just go back to how we were if you’d like.” He’s so earnest and open in front of her that she can’t really be blamed for the fact that her perfectly rehearsed speech immediately flies out of her head. 

“I don’t wanna be your client any more.” She blurts out instead, cheeks burning. He skates back a few inches and nods, looking crestfallen. 

“Yeah, of course, I get it. I’m sorry it had to end like this, Tessa.” 

The use of her full name is what startles her most and Tessa shakes her head feverishly, skating forward until they’re basically touching. Her hands come up to his shoulders to stop him from moving further. “Wait, no, that didn’t come out right. I’m sorry that I’ve been so weird the past few weeks. If I’m entirely honest, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we kissed and truthfully, I’ve been thinking about you in that way for a while longer than that. I don’t want to be your client any more but I’d...still like to see you, maybe? If that’s okay with you.” 

“T, are you proposing a date?” He asks, eyes wide. 

“Uh. Maybe? Do I have to go down on one knee for that? Because I don’t remember that being the protocol.” She laughs shyly. 

Scott laughs with her, the same unrestrained laugh that had drawn her to him in the first place. “I mean, you don’t have to.” 

Tessa heaves a long sigh, eyes sparking with amusement as she digs her toe pick into the ice and carefully sinks down onto one knee. “Mr Scott Moir, would you do me the honour of going on a date with me?” 

“I’d be honoured,” he murmurs, offering his hands to help her up. She’s about to lean up and kiss him to seal the deal when she hears the scattered applause from the few people left on the ice. Grinning, he steps back, waving his hand. “Guys, no - she just asked me out on a date!” He clarifies and they sigh in disappointment. 

“I finished with my teams earlier - I just...watched you skate for a little while. You’re incredible, by the way. But, do you want to head out? We can grab coffee or something and I’ll pay for you this time.” Scott asks, throwing a cheeky wink in her direction. 

Tessa blushes and grins back. “Sounds perfect.” 

“And for what it’s worth, Tess? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either.” The way he speaks to her, his voice pitched low so no one else will hear while his eyes grow dark looking at her, has Tessa stroking towards the boards faster, his hand still firmly clasped in hers. 

She’s careful to unlace her skates properly and put them away as they should be before she grabs her bag and his hand again, desperate for a fraction of privacy away from prying eyes. They don’t even make it out of the rink. Instead, she finds a secluded hallway and tugs him into it. “Sorry, it’s not classy but I just-” 

She’s cut off by Scott’s lips crashing down on hers and she whimpers against his mouth, melting into him entirely as their bags hit the floor. He backs her up against the wall as she loops her arms around his neck to pull him impossibly closer. When he finally pulls back for air, they simply rest their foreheads together and breathe heavily together. “I’ve been thinking about doing that since the day I first saw you, Tess. You were so beautiful and I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

“God, we’re idiots. I had the same thoughts about you.” She whispers, eyes bright with awe. 

“We should go.”

“You’re probably right. Also, I didn’t...really expect this to happen. Thought you would be a lot harder to seduce, if I’m honest, so I booked you an early Christmas present.” Tessa confesses shyly. “Are you free next weekend?”

“For you, yes. What are you up to?” 

“You’ll see.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it for these two and man, I'm glad I finally got the motivation to finish this one up. I've loved it. Thanks goes to Lori, Emma and Marie for giving this a quick beta for me. Lots of love for them.

Since she had started therapy with Scott, her weeks had felt like they dragged in until she could see him again. This week however, seems to fly in, She floats into the office on Monday morning, her heart lighter than ever. Emily notices immediately and grins up at her, an amused twinkle in her eyes. “You doing okay there, Tessa? You look awful cheerful for this time of the morning considering the fact that you never sound human until you’ve had at least three cups of coffee.”

Tessa laughs, tucking her hair behind her ear as she sinks into her chair. She can’t exactly say that she’s only so chipper because she woke up this morning with a sated ache between her legs, Scott’s scent still on her sheets and coffee brewed in the kitchen. When she had finally wandered through to get her caffeine hit, she had spotted a post it note stuck to her coffee machine.

_Had to run to make it home so I could get changed before I headed to the rink. See you tonight? S xx_

Thinking about the note is enough to make Tessa smile again and Emily rolls her eyes. “Tess, you just totally zoned out on me. What the hell has made you so dreamy today?”

Knowing that Emily would absolutely understand her without much prompting, Tessa shoots her a smile that borders on coy. “I got out of the contract I had with Scott.”

Emily drops the sketch she’s been working on immediately and drags her chair over to Tessa’s side. “Spill. Tell me everything. What the hell, Tessa?” She props her chin on her hands and stares expectantly at Tessa who flushes rose pink.

“Okay, so, I decided that I was done with repressing my feelings so I made a plan to woo Scott. I booked an early Christmas present for next week and decided to go to the rink he works at because I’ve missed skating. He ended up watching me do some jumps and it all just kind of...moved faster than we meant.” She murmurs through a shy smile, a laugh bubbling up in her chest.

“Tessa!” Emily sounds thoroughly scandalized. “In an ice rink?”

At this, Tessa laughs properly and deeply before shaking her head furiously. “Oh my god, no. No. We just kissed and agreed to try this out and then he and I went back to mine. He stayed over and just left this morning.”

“You sly little minx, I knew you had it in you. What’s the plan for the Christmas thing?” Emily asks, looking positively delighted.

“I’ve booked this Friday and next Monday off. We’re taking a trip,” Tessa grins, sitting back in her chair as Emily smiles in response.

“Excellent, I love that. Good luck, darling.” She laughs, leaning down to press a kiss to Tessa’s cheek before moving back over to her own desk. “But still, we have work to do before you swan off and leave me. Tessa Virtue voluntarily taking a break? I never thought I’d see the day.”

Tessa allows herself a quiet, private smile. Honestly, she had never seen it coming either.

\---

By the time Friday rolls around, Scott is desperate to know what’s happening. “Tessaaaaaaa,” he whines, tugging at her shirt as she debates on what else to put in her case. “Tessa, I gotta know where I’m going so I can pack.” He tries again.

“Scott, we both know that I’ve already packed for you. You only have to wait a few hours.” She laughs, batting his hands away from her as she begins zipping up her case. He grumbles in response but lets it go, choosing instead to carry her case down the stairs and into his car. With a fond smile, she presses a chaste kiss to his lips as thanks when he returns. He grins into the kiss before lightly rubbing his nose against hers until she giggles.

“I still can’t believe I get to do that,” he smiles. “Should we head out soon, T?”

She nods and does a final check to make sure everything is turned off before she swings her carry on over her shoulder. “Let’s hit the road!”

Normally Tessa dreads driving to the airport. The traffic is always a nightmare, it takes far too long and she can never find something to hold her attention long enough. This time, however, she settles into the passenger seat with Scott’s hand laced in hers. They’ve carefully curated a playlist for the trip; enough country to keep him happy and enough oldies to keep her entertained plus some that both of them enjoy. She’s never had so much fun on a car ride before.

He serenades her in warbling tones with what seems like the entirety of the Hip’s discography until she’s blushing and giggling and, in return, she belts out every single word of You Make My Dreams Come True without even worrying about how horrendously out of tune she probably is. She finishes just as he pulls up to a parking spot and he flashes her a smile. “Promise me you’ll serenade me every day of my life, T?”

She nods silently, suddenly overcome with emotion. “For as long as you’ll want me to,” she eventually manages.

“Good. Where to now, boss?”

\---

A couple of hours later, Tessa is hurrying him out of Toronto Airport. “Come on, Scott - we have a gorgeous hotel room waiting for us and time to nap before dinner.”

He grins beside her. “Just nap?”

“You’ll want your rest, trust me. We have time for all of that later.” Tessa insists, slanting an amused smile in his direction.

“Oh but the alternative is just so good.” He snakes his arms around her waist, pulling her close and nuzzling at her neck while they wait for their Uber. She giggles, swiping at him lazily in a half-hearted attempt to make him stop. Scott smiles against her neck, dropping a feather light kiss there before stepping back. “Alright, alright - I bow to your superior knowledge. I’ll wait.”

Sure enough, he makes no further advances even once they’re in the hotel. Instead, he just flops down on their king sized bed and smiles crookedly up at her. “Coming to nap, Tess?” He asks, opening his arms for her. Tessa grins and carefully starts to unpack all her clothes.

“I will in a second, let me hang up some of these,” she murmurs softly, although she can’t help but glance over her shoulder at him as he curls up. He’s so relaxed here with her that she can’t help herself from draping the blouse she was holding over the chair and shuffling over to the bed. She kicks off her shoes, shrugs out of her jacket and crawls up to join him, making a point to set her alarm so neither of them would be late.

“Shift up,” she murmurs, tugging at his shirt until he grunts softly and relents, lifting his arm to let her slide under it. Before she slips off into a restful sleep curled into Scott’s side, Tessa feels him drop a gentle kiss to the crown of her head and she sighs contentedly. This is where she belongs.

\---

The shrill ringing of her phone alarm wakes them a few hours later and, grumbling, Tessa swipes at her phone until it falls silent. Scott is smiling down at her fondly already, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and she kind of hates him for it. “I shouldn’t have slept, I don’t wanna move,” she whines, nuzzling into his shoulder.

“I mean, we don’t have to go anywhere, Tess.” He points out gently and she shakes her head.

“No, we do. Come on. I’m going to get changed,” Tessa huffs, hauling herself to her feet and disappearing into the bathroom with an armful of clothes. She takes her time getting ready, carefully touching up her makeup, shaking out the loose waves that had thankfully stayed in her hair, and then changing.

“I can’t believe you’re taking me out on a date while the Leafs are playing,” Scott says playfully and Tessa grins over her shoulder at him.

“I’m sorry, I’m the worst girlfriend in the world,” she says in return, turning her attention back to the careful sweep of eyeliner.

“Girlfriend?” He stands just behind her now, an odd expression across his face and she blinks.

“I mean. Yeah. If that’s alright? I don’t want to assume but I just thought…”

“Tessa. Of course it’s alright. I absolutely want you to be my girlfriend,” he smiles softly, dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

“Good,” she whispers shyly, her heart thundering in her chest. “You got ten minutes to get ready,” she says quickly, leaning up to press a kiss to the corner of his lips, leaving a smear of pink lipstick in her wake.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Scott emerges from the bathroom in a pair of dark wash jeans and a grey Henley with his sleeves pushed up. “This fine for what you have planned?” He asks.

Tessa nods quietly, her attention focused in on him instead of on the phone in her lap. “Y-yeah. Perfect,” she says, short of breath. “Should never have packed that Henley - I should have known it would just be distracting for me,” she says, exhaling a short laugh.

“Oh, really?” He asks with a wicked grin and she laughs, shaking her head.

“No. We have plans, come on,” she says, pushing herself to her feet and snagging her bag and blazer from the chair. “Let’s head out.”

\---

They’re less than five minutes away by the time Scott finally clocks where she’s been steering him on their walk. “Tessa...Tessa, have you gotten me Leafs tickets?”

“Maybe,” she grins mischievously up at him, squeezing his arm. “I know someone who knows someone and maybe we have one of the luxury suites,” she adds, trying to wave it off casually.

He whoops in delight, unhooking their arms just so he can sling his arm around her shoulders and squeeze her tight into his side. “You really are the absolute best. I don’t believe this - it must have cost you so much.” He says softly, glancing down at her with such fondness that she feels her heart swoop.

“It was nothing - I have my ways,” she says, ducking her head as she blushes, suddenly shy. He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead then tugs her along as he bounds towards the arena, looming just in front of them.

“Come on, Virtch! I’m hoping you’re going to be the lucky charm that helps the Leafs win!”

She can’t help but laugh as she’s pulled along after him, right into the throng of people at the Scotiabank Arena. Normally, if asked, Tessa would say that she’s not really a fan of crowds - too many people, too much noise, too easy to get overwhelmed in - but now she just grasps Scott’s hand tighter and lets him lead her through with ease. His exuberant energy clears a path for them easily and she finds herself giggling like a schoolgirl as they practically run through.

The game was just about to start and Tessa could feel herself growing more anxious at the thought of her next surprise. Carefully, she laces her fingers with Scott’s and tugs. “Hey, can we go down for a minute? I want to get a drink but I think I’ll get lost coming back,” she says, batting her lashes as innocently as she could feasibly manage.

Scott glances once at the ice before nodding. “Yeah, that’s fine, Tess. Hang on, we’ll go together,” he says, standing and obediently following her out. They make their way downstairs and, as Scott goes to turn off and head to the bar, Tessa offers him a sheepish smile and shakes her head, steering them instead towards the rink itself.

“Tess? What’s this about?” He asks, brow furrowing in confusion as she leads him right to the edge of the ice. Before she could even answer, the announcer begins to speak, calling for a Mr Scott Moir to take to the ice to take part in the ceremonial puck drop. Tessa thinks that she’s never seen joy dawn upon anyone’s face quite so brilliantly. He kisses her once sweetly before stepping onto the blue carpet rolled out for him, walking towards the centre of the ice.

Tessa beams proudly from her place rinkside, snapping several photos as he takes the puck in his hands and drops it into play. The Leafs captain hands it back and Tessa grabs yet another photo, heart fluttering at the openly awestruck look on Scott’s face. He hurries back to join her, gripping the puck like it was his most treasured possession - which it may well be now - and shakes his head in disbelief. “You ridiculous, incredible woman. I can’t believe I just did that.”

Tessa exhales a long sigh, infinitely glad that he had enjoyed it as she had hoped and hadn’t felt under pressure. “I got as many photos as I could, I didn’t know how many you would want or if any of them are even that great - I just kept taking them,” she says in a rush and he reaches out with his free hand to cup her cheek.

“Tess. It was perfect. Now come on, we should get back to our seats so we can enjoy the game,” he grins and she follows him back up to their suite.

Despite the fact that she is a fan of hockey - she’s Canadian after all - and can get suitably invested in it - especially when betting and money is involved - it’s nothing compared to Scott’s love for the game. If she’s entirely honest with herself, she spends the entire game watching him instead. The way he leaps up when particularly pleased or the crinkle in his brow that suggests he’s unhappy with the official’s calls. He barely notices until the final few moments of the game when he catches her staring and slants her a warm smile, although a faint hint of cockiness twists the expression into something a little more salacious. The Leafs had stormed their way to a victory, with 5-2, and she could still feel the energy buzzing off him in restless waves.

Smirking, she squeezes his hand once. “You’ll have to wait until we’re back at the hotel, tiger. I have one last surprise for you,” she confesses.

Almost instantly, his expression furrows into one of confusion. “Tess, no, this is already too much.”

“Oh hush, I didn’t spend any money for this one. This one was pure luck all round. Fancy going for drinks?” She asks, although based on her sly smile, he doesn’t think he has a choice. He nods anyway.

\---

The bar that Tessa leads him to is warm and inviting and raucous enough to feel like home yet still calm enough to facilitate easy conversation. She carefully guides Scott to an empty table of four with a reserved sign upon it. “What do you want to drink?” She asks softly and he goes to stand.

“I’ll get it.”

“No, no. You can wait here. You want a beer?” She asks and he nods in response. Tessa shoots him a warm smile and weaves through the people at the bar. He watches the way she deftly flags down a bartender and orders. The bartender smiles immediately, charmed by her, and rushes off to get her order. Scott blinks in surprise as four glasses are placed on the tray. Not that his confusion lasts long.

“Ah! This must be the famous Scott Moir!” A feminine voice says brightly and Scott starts. The voice is passingly familiar but he hardly knows how until he glances up and sees just exactly who it is. The gasp that falls from his lips is involuntary.

“You’re Marie-France Dubreuil,” he whispers in quiet awe. “You were part of my favourite ice dance team when I was younger,” he adds quickly. It’s true. He had always thought she and her husband had such heart when they skated together.

“So kind of you. Flattery will get you everywhere,” she laughs, before Tessa returns to the table. Marie’s husband, Patch, stands just behind her, smiling warmly.

“Bonsoir,” he greets them softly.

Marie grins as Tessa sets the tray down and hurries over to embrace her tightly. “Ma chérie, we have missed you - you really should come and see us more.”

“I know Marie, I’m sorry,” Tessa smiles as they all take their seats. “So, I see you’ve already met Scott. Scott, this is Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. Although, it looks like you already knew that,” she laughs, swirling her wine around the glass before taking a small sip.

Scott shakes himself out of his awed reverie and nods. “Yes. Wow, I...yeah. I know who they are,” he says bashfully.

“So, Marie and Patch were often friendly towards me when we met at competitions but recently, Marie reached out to get some of my clothing line for her skaters and to discuss collaborating with her own costume designer. We reconnected and have been friendly ever since.”

“And of course, it’s an honour to meet the famous Scott Moir. Tessa talks about you all the time. She just can’t help herself,” Marie smirks. Tessa blushes and ducks her head, muttering something about how great it was of Marie to bring that up.

Patch looks mildly amused at the women’s antics and shrugs at Scott, sipping his own wine. “Oui, they are always this way,” he answers Scott’s unspoken question and Scott grins back. “Marie, perhaps we should mention what we came to talk about?”

“Ah, yes. So, as I was saying. Tessa speaks about you so frequently and sings your praises. We have been looking for a new coach for two of our junior teams and, since we trust our Tessa’s judgement, we wondered if you would like to come for an interview and a trial with them? Little more than formalities but still, it would be nice for the teams to meet you first, non?”

Scott blinks in surprise. “Sorry, at Gadbois? As in one of the top schools of the moment?” He asks, unable to do little more than stare.

“Oui. Of course, it would only be with the juniors for now but there is naturally scope to work with the seniors as you progress. Think about it, oui?”

“I don’t have to. I’ll come. I’ll come do the trial as soon as possible,” he says eagerly and Marie claps her hands delightedly.

“Excellent. With business out of the way, shall we catch up properly now?” Marie asks, finally picking up her own glass. Tessa grins proudly up at him and Scott could kiss her there and then. Instead, he picks up her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles in silent gratitude.

\---

**Two Years Later…**

Tessa sets her sketchpad aside and stifles a yawn as she reaches over to flick a lamp on, illuminating the lounge in warm light as she curls up on the sofa. Scott’s flight had gotten in just under an hour ago and, despite her asking multiple times, he had insisted that she shouldn’t go pick him up and should instead get some rest.

She had waited up for him anyway. The last half of the Princess Bride is playing on the TV, the volume turned low as she slides sideways to curl up on the sofa. She figures it wouldn’t hurt to close her eyes for a little bit, just until he gets in. When she wakes, no more than fifteen minutes later, it’s to Scott stroking a hand through her hair gently, an adoring look painted across his face.

“Hi, T. I told you that you should go to bed,” he says unbearably softly and Tessa smiles sleepily at him.

“You know I like to make sure you get in safe,” she murmurs, forcing herself to sit up and tuck herself into his side. “And besides, Princess Bride was on TV. You know I have to watch it every time.” It was a sentimental tradition but she did her best to keep to it anyway.

Scott laughs and tickles her ribs lightly, making her squirm. “Mawwiage…” he begins dramatically and Tessa laughs the loud, full bellied laugh that only Scott could draw from her.

“Hm. There’s going to be none of that at my wedding,” she says casually as she snuggles into him.

“Oh really?” He asks, aiming for joking. His voice comes out nervous instead and Tessa grimaces into his shoulder. Before she can even begin to do damage control, he had slipped from the sofa.

“It’s probably not the best time. I was going to do it tomorrow morning after I made breakfast but truthfully, seeing you here - napping on the sofa so you know I’m safe, with your ridiculous Minnie Mouse pyjamas and your bedhead and the cute little crinkle of your nose when I’m trying to wake you up - is just the perfect moment to sum up what I love about you. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is...Tessa Virtue, will you marry me?” And with that, he pulls the tiny velvet box from his hoodie pocket and flips it open to reveal a perfect silver band, inlaid with a tiny diamond and small emeralds either side.

Tessa’s hand flies to her mouth to stifle a sob as she gazes at the ring silently.

“Tessa. Tess. You’re killing me here, babe. You gotta say something.”

Her eyes light up with joy and love and the tiniest fraction of mischief before she speaks.

“As you wish.”


End file.
